Siheyuan, integrating everything, cultivating the city

After a while of hard work, the goods were finally loaded. Yi Zhonghai raised his hand to wipe the sweat off his face and nodded to the middle-aged man: "The bill will be settled tomorrow. I'll take the goods first."

The middle-aged man laughed and said, "Okay, Brother Yi, let's stick to the old rules. Don't worry."

The two of them pushed the cart full of goods and walked slowly on the way back. The night wind blew, bringing a hint of coolness. Li Xiangqian looked down at the road under his feet, thinking about Yi Zhonghai's business in his mind. Many questions popped up in his mind, but he didn't know how to start.

"Go ahead, ask whatever you want to ask." Yi Zhonghai suddenly spoke, with a sophisticated smile in his tone, "I know you can't keep things in your heart."

Li Xiangqian raised his head, hesitated for a moment, and then asked in a low voice: "Uncle Zhonghai, you should be making a lot of money from this business, right?"

Yi Zhonghai smiled, with a hint of deep meaning in his eyes: "Whether you can make money or not depends on how you do it. For a small business like mine, I'm not looking for big money, but a stable life."

"Safe..." Li Xiangqian repeated in a low voice, but he found it hard to understand. He thought, since he could do business, why didn't he think about making it bigger and stronger? But he was afraid that if he asked too many questions, he would appear to be ignorant, so he could only suppress his doubts in his heart.

Yi Zhonghai seemed to see his confusion, stopped, and patted him on the shoulder: "Go forward, some things can't be rushed. You are young and have a long way to go. Learn to judge people and things slowly, otherwise, you may get into trouble for what happened this morning."

Li Xiangqian was stunned and couldn't help asking, "You also know about Liu Guangfu?"

"This yard is so small, what can be hidden from my eyes?" Yi Zhonghai sneered, "I don't object to your loyalty, but it depends on the occasion and the person. People like Liu Guangfu are not worth your effort. He retreated today, but it doesn't mean he admits defeat, understand?"

These words hit Li Xiangqian's heart like a wake-up call. He gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice, "I understand, Uncle Zhonghai, I will be more careful in the future."

Yi Zhonghai nodded and started pushing the cart again: "I understand. Let's go. The way back is still long."

When Li Xiangqian followed Yi Zhonghai and pushed the goods back to the courtyard, the night was already as dark as ink, and the dim lights on the roadside stretched their shadows. The yard was quiet, with only a few windows shining faintly. He stopped the car and reached out to wipe the sweat from his forehead, only to find that his back was already wet. Yi Zhonghai seemed calm and unloaded the goods skillfully, and told Li Xiangqian: "You move these boxes to the warehouse first, and I will deal with the rest tomorrow."

"Okay." Li Xiangqian nodded, picked up a box of goods and walked carefully towards the warehouse deep in the yard.

On the way back, he was still restless. Yi Zhonghai's words "It depends on the occasion and the target" lingered in his mind. It's not that he hadn't thought about these principles, but the situation at that time made it impossible for him to stand by and watch. When He Yuzhu was bullied by Liu Guangfu, the anger in his heart could not be extinguished by one or two words of advice. However, the cruel reality once again reminded him that the consequences of such impulse might be beyond his tolerance.

After moving the goods into the warehouse, he stood in the yard to take a breath. The night breeze blew gently, making his tired body feel a little relaxed. But the next moment, thinking about the situation at home, his heart began to tense up again.

Pushing open the door, the lights in the room were dim. Liu Cui'e was sitting at the table, mending clothes for the child. She looked up at him, without saying anything, but with a hint of dissatisfaction in her eyes. Li Xiangqian felt that this look was like a needle piercing him, and he could not help but lower his head and silently walked to the table and sat down.

"Are you back?" Liu Cui'e asked without raising her head, her tone calm but with a hint of coldness.

"Yeah." Li Xiangqian responded, reached out to pick up the water cup on the table and took a sip. The burning thirst in his throat was finally relieved a little.

Liu Cui'e put down her needlework and looked up at him, as if she was hesitating whether to speak or not. Finally, she said, "It's a good thing that Uncle Zhonghai takes you out to work, but you should not forget about the situation at home. Xiang Qian, our family is counting on you."

Li Xiangqian's heart sank when he heard this. He wanted to say something, but swallowed it back. He understood what Liu Cui'e meant, but he also felt helpless. This family had been supported by him from the beginning. His old mother was in poor health, and the children were young. All the daily necessities were on him alone. It's not that he hadn't thought about taking it easy, but reality didn't allow him to have a choice.

"I know," he whispered, trying to sound calm.

Liu Cui'e sighed, obviously not satisfied with his perfunctory response. "What's the point of knowing? Look at our family, everything costs money. If you make such a fuss today and something really happens, what will happen to me and the child? You can't let us starve, can you?"

Li Xiangqian was silent. It was not the first time he had heard such a complaint, but every time he heard it, he felt like a stone was pressing down on his heart. He knew that Liu Cui'e was not being unreasonable, but that her life was too difficult and she had her own sufferings. He wanted to comfort her, but he didn't know how to start. He could only lower his head and stare at the cup in his hand, letting the heaviness accumulate in his heart bit by bit.

"I'm not blaming you." Seeing that he didn't say anything, Liu Cui'e softened her tone a bit, "I just hope you understand that this family needs you, and needs you to live a stable life. Don't always think about those things outside, okay?"

Li Xiangqian gave a bitter smile and looked up at her. "Cui'e, I never thought of neglecting my family. It's just... there are some things that I can't avoid just because I want to."

"Who told you to hide?" Liu Cui'e frowned. "I told you to think clearly about what you should and shouldn't be involved in. No matter how righteous you are, you can't sacrifice our family, right?"

Li Xiangqian did not argue any more. He knew that Liu Cui'e was right, but he felt an unspeakable bitterness in his heart. It was not that he did not want to live a stable life, but those unfair things always made him feel aggrieved. Sometimes he asked himself, did this temper help him or hurt him?

As the night deepened, Liu Cui'e went to sleep with her child in her arms, leaving Li Xiangqian alone in the room. He sat at the table, lit a cigarette, and smoked it, his eyes fixed on the dim light, but his thoughts drifted far away. He thought of the days when he first entered the courtyard. At that time, he was young and full of energy, and always felt that he could make a name for himself with his own strength and passion. But after so many years, he found that the gap between ideals and reality was much greater than he had imagined.

Halfway through smoking a cigarette, he heard footsteps coming from the yard outside. He frowned, stood up and walked to the window, and found that it was Yi Zhonghai. He pushed open the door and greeted him.